CHAPTER TWENTY

Lesson Number Eleven, Part 2

It was only three blocks away when Sam came upon a growing crowd of onlookers and first responders who were all looking up at a four-story apartment building whose top two floors were already engulfed in a thick coating of smoke and flames.

“It doesn’t look like a horror’s doing,” Sam said, sounding relieved. “An accident?”

You won’t learn anything from back here.

“Right,” Sam agreed.

He slipped into the back of the crowd while frightened whispers reached his ears from all around him.

“I heard there was an explosion,” said a gray-haired, brown-skinned man.

“Place went up in flames so quickly we couldn’t get everyone out of there,” a blonde paramedic commented.

“It’s as hot as the forge of the cyclopes in there,” his partner, a dark-skinned, curly-haired female paramedic, added.

When Sam pushed his way to the front of the crowd, he noticed the NYPD were only just beginning to set up their barricades.

“It looks like this thing just started.”

Even from the other side of the street, Sam could feel intense heat of the fire graze his skin. The smell was awful too, like gasoline mixed with the stench of burning meat and rubber.

“Gods”—Sam’s gaze drifted to the flames peeking out of a few second-floor windows—“you think there are people still—”

“Where the hell are the firefighters!” yelled a familiar grumpy voice.

“Oh, no”—Sam’s gaze snapped toward the NYPD officers beyond the police barricade.—“not him.”

A thickset bald man with chocolate-colored skin was glowering at a young, brown-haired, gray-eyed police officer.

“They’re still putting out that big fire over on Brooklyn Bridge, sarge,” Officer Nolan reported.

Police Sergeant Graham then turned his glower on the slanted-eyed, blue-haired girl in the bright blue jumpsuit standing next to Officer Nolan.

“What’s your excuse, Miracle Girl?” he snapped.

“I’m a healer, sarge,” she fired back at him. “You got burn victims in need of healing, I’m your gal. Otherwise, I’m waiting for the water elemental heroes just like everyone else…”

She glanced over her shoulder to where a small line of Queens’ heroes was gathered in a cluster. Famous names such as Captain Awesome, Minute-Man, Barricade Betty, and even Wolf-Woman were on scene. None of them, however, had the power to stop a raging fire. All they could do was standby and be ready in case New York’s finest needed their help in a different way.

“I know a healer worth less than you who wouldn’t be afraid to jump into that burning building just to save one life,” Sergeant Graham snapped.

Sam’s eyebrows twitched at the sergeant’s words. It sounded like he was talking about Sam, and in an uncommonly nice way too.

“Yeah, why don’t you call this hero over then?” Miracle Girl countered. “I’d love to see the face of a reckless idiot like that.”

This, Sam thought, was the right reaction to what he had done in the Bronx nearly three weeks ago. Funnily enough, he’s gotten even more reckless since that time.

Then, as if on cue, another explosion rocked the apartment, causing flames to explode out of the third-floor windows. The shockwave from the blast made Sam cover his face with his arms while the surrounding crowd were forced to take cover several steps back.

Sam had just enough time to marvel at how sturdy he’d become before he realized he was now standing alone on the other side of the police barricade which made him quite noticeable to observant eyes. Sure enough, a voice yelled his name, and not in a welcoming way.

“Shepard!” Sergeant Graham roared. “What the hell are you doing here, dumbass!?”

The NYPD police sergeant stomped over to where Sam stood. As usual, he was sporting an extra-intense glower he reserved only for Sam.

“Hey, sarge,” Sam said, waving a hand toward the man who didn’t look thrilled to see him despite praising Sam only a minute ago. “How’ve you been?”

“Don’t talk to me like we’re friends, Shepard,” Sergeant Graham snapped. “What are you doing in my active disaster zone?”

Sergeant Graham’s eyes drifted down to Sam’s utility belt. No doubt he could see Cranium Smasher strapped behind it too, and the only conclusion he could draw from Sam’s appearance caused his eyebrow to arch even higher than usual.

“I want to help,” Sam said.

“We don’t need you,” Sergeant Graham replied. “Not a coward who ran away from the job the first time around…”

“But, didn’t you just compliment—”

As unlikely as it sounded, Sergeant Graham’s glower intensified to new heights, driving Sam to shut his own mouth.

“I heard you got fired from the Herald,” Sergeant Graham said, with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. “It must be true because you’re not waving your stupid press badge in my face this time.”

“Listen, Sarge, I really can help—”

“And since you’re no longer here in an official capacity, I believe that makes you a civilian,” Sergeant Graham was grinning now. “Unless you can show me proof that you’ve re-registered as a hero with the city’s Wardens Office?”

“Uh…” Somehow, Sam found the sarge’s grin way more unnerving than his glower. “I haven’t gotten around to that yet…”

“And what do we do with civilians who are impeding police business, Officer Nolan?” Sergeant Graham asked.

Fair-faced, gray-eyed, Officer Nolan gave Sam an apologetic look before answering his boss’s question. “We book them for disruption of police business, sarge.”

“That we do.” Sergeant Graham leaned in to whisper into Sam’s ear. “That stunt you pulled in the Bronx got me and my men in trouble, you little shit-stain.”

When he pulled away from Sam, the sarge’s grin was gone. That stoic mask of a lawman about to rain judgment down on the delinquent had already replaced it.

“Turns out you’ve got connections in really high places who don’t like it when you’re put in danger,” Sergeant Graham added.

Sam knew who he was talking about, of course. Marie had probably said something to the city’s police chief in Sam’s favor. That most likely meant he was even more out of favor with the sarge now.

“Officer Nolan”—he waved his sidekick over—“please escort Mr. Shepard here off my active disaster zone. We wouldn’t want him to get hurt on account of his own stupidity. I think he’ll be fine cooling off at the back of the rig.”

“Hades’ bottom,” Sam sighed.

A minute after that altercation and Officer Nolan was dragging Sam toward the back of the crowd. Sam could have resisted, of course. But it didn’t seem like a smart move to antagonize the NYPD. Not yet, at least. Funnily enough, Officer Nolan didn’t bring Sam over to his police car, but instead led him into an alleyway adjacent to the street where the burning building stood. That’s where he let Sam go.

“Most people who were there that night were too afraid to watch the battle, but I saw what you did, and I know you’re a hero, Sam,” Officer Nolan said.

“Um…” Sam was speechless. This was the first time anyone of authority had complimented him. “Thanks…”

“Sorry about the sarge. Even though he saw what you did too, he’s not the type to admit he was wrong about someone…not easily.”

Sam shrugged. “I’m used to people looking down on me.”

Officer Nolan chuckled.

“You think you can do it again?” he asked. “Save some more lives?”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked. “Who needs saving?”

Officer Nolan nodded his head toward the burning building.

“There are still people trapped in the upper floors. We couldn’t get to them in time, and the other heroes…they’re waiting on backup…” Officer Nolan’s frown only deepened when he said that last part.

Officer Nolan wasn’t a top-class hero like Thunder, but the light in his eyes shone with such hopeful brilliance that Sam knew he couldn’t let this man down.

Lesson number eleven flitted across the surface of Sam’s mind. “Never lose hope.”

After he turned his back on Officer Nolan, Sam reached into his hoodie’s pocket after he and took out the mask he’d kept there. Sam placed the mask over his face and wasn’t surprised at all that it fit him perfectly. Relics were amazingly intuitive like that.

“It’s alright now”—Sam pulled the hood of his jacket over his head—“I’ll save them.”

And, as he rushed toward the end of the alley, his eyes set on the fire that raged beyond it, Sam heard Officer Nolan whisper a prayer on his behalf, “May Hermes guide your steps toward the right path,” and imagined that the gods might actually be on his side tonight.